Randolph County, Illinois
This profile presents Randolph County’s demographic characteristics, prioritized needs, key inputs from residents, and the partnership and funding landscape in the county.
Who Lives in Randolph County?
The following data highlight some important demographic information about the people who live in Randolph County:
Total Population 32,829
57% of the population live in urban areas
43% of the population live in rural areas
15.6% of the population live with a disability
Population in Poverty
Prioritized Needs
The Community Needs Assessment (CNA) began with listening through a public survey, focus groups, and individual interviews, and with a review of existing or secondary data. To identify and prioritize the needs in each county, the CNA researchers gave each topic (or need) a score using all of the data collected. The scores were assigned using these criteria: how many people were impacted; how great the racial disparity was; and if the need was a root cause (main reason) for a condition or outcome. These scores were also driven by how community members responded to the topic through the survey, focus groups, and interviews. Using the scores given by the CNA researchers, United Way ranked the top half of each county’s needs.
| Ranking | Topic/Need | Impact Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Access to Healthcare | Improve Health |
| 2 | K-12 Education and Out-of-School Time | Foster Learning |
| 3 | Built Environment | Strengthen Communities |
| 4* | Aging and Senior Support | Strengthen Communities |
| 4* | Child Welfare | Foster Learning |
| 4* | Early Childhood Education | Foster Learning |
| 4* | Income | Financial Stability |
| 8 | Transportation | Provide Food and Shelter |
| 9 | Jobs | Financial Stability |
| 10 | Food Security | Provide Food and Shelter |
| 11 | Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse | Improve Health |
| 12* | Community Building | Strengthen Communities |
| 12* | Physical Health | Improve Health |
| 12* | Post-Secondary Education | Foster Learning |
| *scores were tied |
Community Engagement
The findings below highlight what was heard and learned from community members. The community engagement process included: gathering insight from residents on individual, family, and community needs through public surveys; perspective on community challenges and resources from local government and social services providers through focus groups; and in-depth accounts of individuals’ daily successes and challenges through one-on-one interviews.
After CNA partners reviewed all collected data to identify a list of priority needs for each county, residents were given the opportunity to identify the needs they believed to be highest priority. Residents identified the following as the highest priority needs in Randolph County:
- Transportation (3/3)*
- Built Environment (2/3)
- Income (2/3)
- Jobs (2/3)
*Number of community members who picked this topic / number of total community members who voted.
This community feedback was not used in the final needs prioritization because in many counties, the participant sample was not representative of the entire county.
Resident Words
“Economically it is suffering. The major industries that were once here that provided employment opportunities have either closed or moved out of state.”
“Great community, but we need more resources.”
A total of 33 responses for Randolph County were recorded through the public survey, focus group and one-on-one interviews. For the public survey, none of the 23 participants were people of color. The one-on-one interviews included eight individuals, four who were people of color and two who were under age 18. No demographic data was recorded for the two supplemental social service and local government survey participants.
Key takeaways from survey, interview, and focus groups in this county:
- Randolph County is warm, friendly and idyllic. Many survey participants describe their communities as quaint places similar to Mayberry or a Norman Rockwell painting. However, there were also several notions of community division, growing safety challenges, and lack of amenities.
- Youth need more activities and outlets. Nearly all eight interview participants noted the lack of activities and spaces dedicated for youth as a persistent challenge in Randolph County that leads to youth making poor decisions.
- A growing, well-resourced community is what residents most commonly desire for the future of Randolph County. The two most common hopes shared by survey and interview participants for the future of their community include one that is growing and prosperous (8/30 responses) and that has the services and amenities needed to adequately support everyone from youth to older adults.
Key takeaways from respondents of color in survey, interview, and focus groups in this county:
- Education is a concern for residents of color. Of the four interview participants of color, three shared that access to quality, affordable education for youth and young adults pursuing college is a challenge.
- Employment opportunities are few. Participants noted that job access in Randolph County is a challenge, yet they feel even fewer options are available for people of color.
Funding Analysis
The funding map tracked government and philanthropic grants of $50,000 or more awarded in fiscal year 2017. Grants were recorded in the county the terminal grantee is located in, not the terminal grantee’s service area, which may under represent grant funding in Randolph County. Click here to access Randolph County grants data.
In 2017, Randolph County received a total of $5.7 million in grant funding across 35 unique grants. These funds amounted to 0.4% of total regional funding and a per capita investment of $175.
Community Partnerships
While Randolph County does not have any community partnerships serving this county specifically, it is served by 43 regional partnerships.